Why Robert Parish Considers Joe Mazzulla ‘Right Coach’ For Celtics originally appeared on NESN.
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Robert Parish holds Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla in high regard.
The Celtics legend watched his former team earn a convincing 120-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Before the game, via CLNS Media, Parish praised Mazzulla for instilling a hard-nosed culture.
“They have the right coach in place because that’s where it starts, the coach,” Parish said. “The team is definitely taking on Joe’s personality. That toughness, you know, grinding out on both ends of the court. Take no prisoners.”
The Hall of Fame center, who won three of his four championships in Boston, drew parallels between his Celtics and Mazzulla’s team.
“They play hard, they play smart and they play together,” Parish said. “And I like that.”
Parish explained how Jayson Tatum’s lengthy absence could have benefited the rest of the team by committing to defense. Boston is allowing an NBA-low 107.0 points per game this season.
“Unfortunately, Jayson went down. But, don’t take this the wrong way, I think it may have been a good thing because the Celtics right now got their defensive identity back,” Parish said. “And that’s when they won a championship. When they understood the benefits and the rewards of playing defense, and that’s what this team is doing now. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why they are successful, other than taking on the coach’s personality.”
Parish appreciates Mazzulla’s coaching style, which he compared to that of his first Celtics coach.
“He’s serious, and I like that,” Parish said of Mazzulla. “Kind of reminds me of Bill Fitch. That tough love, I like that. Even though he obviously has people skills, because if he didn’t have the people skills, I don’t think his players would buy into his philosophy, his concepts the way that they have.”
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